OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Newly sworn-in State Superintendent Lindel Fields announced a 15-month education reform plan on Tuesday, outlining key priorities and immediate actions aimed at addressing challenges in Oklahoma’s public school system.

Fields, who officially took office earlier in the day, emphasized three primary areas: student literacy, career pathways, and teacher recruitment and retention.

“So is 15 months enough to make a difference?” Fields said during a press conference. “I’ll just say this: the Empire State Building was built in 14 months, so we can make a difference in 15 months.”

His plan includes a three-part strategy to meet those goals while also preparing the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) for a smooth transition to the next elected superintendent.

“Throughout the next 15 months, we’ll start with communication, relationships, alignment, executions, and ultimately build capacity for our incoming superintendent,” Fields said.

The first step in the plan begins Thursday, when the State Board of Education will hold a special meeting to address more than two months’ worth of unresolved teacher certification applications and pending student transfer requests.

The department is also facing a time crunch on budget matters. After former Superintendent Ryan Walters resigned without submitting a budget proposal, state lawmakers granted Fields and the Board of Education an extension of just over two weeks to approve one.

“One of the priorities is getting that budget to the state board so they can get that approved,” said Tara Thompson, interim communications director for OSDE. “That was a deadline we missed already, and so we received an extension. We hope to be taking that back to them later this month, likely in a special meeting.”

Fields has not yet released full details of the budget proposal or confirmed the date of the upcoming special meeting.

You can watch Fields’ full press conference on Tuesday below: